Pre-election event to look at political parties

Thu, October 19, 2006 |

Just days before the nation goes to the polls to select candidates for local, state and national offices, the Valparaiso University Conversations Project will host a special event to discuss whether or not the two-party system best serves the interests of citizens.

The discussion “Do the Parties Represent You: Democrat, Republican or …?” will take place Nov. 1 from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Christopher Center for Library and Information Resources on campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Panelists will discuss and spark conversation among audience members about how well the two-party system in the United States serves the nation and if voters would benefit from a multiple party system such as those found in many other industrialized democracies.

Featured on the panel are Dr. Albert Trost, professor of political science and former dean of VU’s College of Arts and Sciences; Valerie Jensen, executive director of career planning at Valparaiso’s School of Law and formerly rules coordinator for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety during Jesse Ventura’s term as an independent governor; and Jacqueline R. Gipson, lecturer in public and environment affairs at Indiana University Northwest and executive board member for Helping Our People Excel in Michigan City.

Panelists and audience members will be invited to continue the conversation while enjoying refreshments during a post-event reception.

The goals of the Conversations Project are to promote non-partisan and non-adversarial political discussion, promote mutual understanding and political reconciliation through community conversations, and to forge connections between the University and wider Valparaiso community. The program is supported by the Valparaiso Project on Civic Reflection.

For more information about the Conversations Project, contact Jeremy Telman, assistant professor of law, at (219) 465-7811 or Jeremy.Telman@valpo.edu.